McLaren Technologies Standard ECUs = Macca advantage?

[bettonracing]

Mclaren technologies is a completely different company to Mclaren Formula One and is a seperate body... so really Mclaren have the same advantage as any other team...

The liver and the heart are separate parts of your body, but it is your brain that makes them work.

correct... however your liver, your brain and your heart are all in the same body... Mclaren Technologies and Mclaren F1 are not!! totally differrent!!

Out of curiosity I decided to check. Their websites (F1 & Elec) list the same address in Woking.

http://www.mclaren.com/contact/contact.php<-- F1
http://www.mclarenelectronics.com/Contact%20Us/ <-- Elec

Am I missing something?
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TBH I don't see much of an advantage for Mclaren at all, seeing as their technology is going to be used by everyone.

I mean that's why Ferrari got all upset about the spygate scandal, the idea that Mclaren would be using their technology thus diminishing their own advantage.

What I mean is that by having standard ECU's nobody has an advantage do they, that's the whole point in them. Who makes it is irrelevent seeing as everybody will have them.

Your logic seems sound and is valid for the long term. But surely You must agree that there are short term disadvantages to teams that are completely new to Mclaren electronics and partnered suppliers (i.e. ECU ancillary suppliers). Quantifying these disadvantages is near to impossible (unless of course u had access to Alonso's highly accurate 'performance gain calculator'...) as the more significant effects are indirectly related to performance.

To claim a disadvantage also requires evidence that Mclaren has access to information/ convenience that the other teams don't have available to them (put simply: they have an advantage). I would propose that having the same operational base and having worked with the ECU designers beforehand has its inherent conveniences but that all teams would have all the information needed to properly run the ECU and its ancilliaries.

One could, however, argue that time zones and language/communication 'barriers' could contribute to Mclaren having an advantage in the information department (these are international companies and the words "$@#%* pos Microsoft!!!" may translate differently).

After all is said and done, I doubt Mclaren gained another magical 0.6s and apart from BMW seemingly slipping backwards in Barcelona testing this week, it seems safe to say the pecking order hasn't changed much from the last few races in 2007.

"Then no advantage!" You say? Having better rested employees and saving a couple dozen grand surely can't be hurting them...

Last but not least, I wonder what will happen to Mclaren F1's budget when The Mclaren Group shows a larger profit partly due to Mclaren Electronics' newfound income?...

Regards,

Kurt

[HKS]

I doubt
What I believe is many drivers would be scared to overtake as their car would lag TC. Only confident drivers might be able to overtake.
So no chance for Massa

What is "lag TC"

Why should they be scared to overtake? I don´t understand what are you talking about.

What I meant was that at certain corners, where its difficult to overtake, a few drivers wont risk overtaking specially those who are not that used to cars without TC. I thought Massa could be one of them but the testing results say something else.

[bizadfar]

The switch to bridgestones initially for all teams in 2007 gave a headstart to Ferrari definitely. I would agree with the Mclaren ECU.

Now teams must be worried maybe their cylinders don't shut down to 4 during race or gearbox glitch

[Belatti]

What I was initially questioning is that, I know ECUs will be the same for all, but software is free, so, maybe, McLaren has already tested the ECU this year and programmed something specific to comply with that.

Sometimes software dont take full advantage of hardware capabilities (Eg: you may have a Pentium 4 with Windows 3.1 in it)

[PNSD]

aka, Mclaren ECU with the Force1India

[HKS]

What I was initially questioning is that, I know ECUs will be the same for all, but software is free, so, maybe, McLaren has already tested the ECU this year and programmed something specific to comply with that.

Sometimes software dont take full advantage of hardware capabilities (Eg: you may have a Pentium 4 with Windows 3.1 in it)

Looking at Mclaren's behaviour this season.

I would agree with you.

[bettonracing]

What I was initially questioning is that, I know ECUs will be the same for all, but software is free, so, maybe, McLaren has already tested the ECU this year and programmed something specific to comply with that.

Sometimes software dont take full advantage of hardware capabilities (Eg: you may have a Pentium 4 with Windows 3.1 in it)

All teams are using the same FIA specified software as well as hardware. Ancillary components (sensors & datalogging systems) are free but it seems most, if not all, teams have opted to use the supplied/ partnered components.

http://www.fia.com/automotive/issue5/sp ... icle3.html

Regards,
Kurt

[kimi]

well does that mean they won't be allowed to make any changes to the software throughout the season?

[astsmtl]

well does that mean they won't be allowed to make any changes to the software throughout the season?

Back in the times when TC was disallowed the main problem to catch cheater was software complexity. FIA experts were unable to analyse software from all teams and find if they are using TC or not.
Based on that i don't think that they will allow to make changes to existing software or use some other.

[mini696]

What I was initially questioning is that, I know ECUs will be the same for all, but software is free, so, maybe, McLaren has already tested the ECU this year and programmed something specific to comply with that.

Sometimes software dont take full advantage of hardware capabilities (Eg: you may have a Pentium 4 with Windows 3.1 in it)

Looking at Mclaren's behaviour this season.

I would agree with you.

EVERY team has had the oppertunity to test the ECU already.

[tpe]

well does that mean they won't be allowed to make any changes to the software throughout the season?

Back in the times when TC was disallowed the main problem to catch cheater was software complexity. FIA experts were unable to analyse software from all teams and find if they are using TC or not.
Based on that i don't think that they will allow to make changes to existing software or use some other.

The software will be every team's responsibility. An API is available. What I would prefer, in order to none has an advantage, is to public the source code to the teams, or to the FIA. That way, everyone will be sure that the API is well documented and there are no secret API calls, in true MS fashion.

[Belatti]

This is what Denis Chevrier from Renault said about ECU and McLaren advantage...

Will some teams have a bigger advantage than others?

"It’s obvious that one team won’t have to make the same effort as the other ten this winter. For the team in question, the common ECU and its language have been fully understood and assimilated. This means that it can concentrate its efforts in other areas while its rivals fine-tune the way the common ECU works. This team has also been given an advantage, as during the summer the majority of the top teams asked for functions to be added to the ECU and its programme. That could have given a few clues as to how to operate certain controls, the data acquisition philosophy, stocking, data processing etc."

So I guess my theory seems to be right!

[kimi]

So I guess my theory seems to be right!

Yeah.U r spot on.

The software is free to develop for the teams.During the summer we saw many teams(i.e. ferrari n McLaren) testing the new ECU.So these teams have definitely going to have an advantage over others in the fact that they have their ECU perfectly tuned to work with their car.

Though teams like SA and FI might face some problems yet.

[mx_tifoso]

....The software is free to develop for the teams.During the summer we saw many teams(i.e. ferrari n McLaren) testing the new ECU.So these teams have definitely going to have an advantage over others in the fact that they have their ECU perfectly tuned to work with their car.

Though teams like SA and FI might face some problems yet.

Why do you only mention Ferrari and McLaren? Is there a possibility that you did not hear about the many other teams who where testing the new ECU´s as well? FYI, other teams have tested them as well.

I´m not 110% on this, but every single team that is competing in 2008 has been provided with the 2008 spec ECU (at the same time). Otherwise it would not be ¨sporting¨ of the FIA to provide only a handful of teams at once, then later the rest.

November testing primarily consisted of ´08 ECU testing.

[kimi]

My point of saying Ferrari and McLaren was just because these teams tested the ECU during the 2007 season( I don't remember exactly,but may be in july or august).Except them I guess Renault,BMW and even Williams have also tested it.

They have a healthy info about the working of the new ECU prior to other teams.Thats what I wanna say.I very well know about the sporting regulations and I am sure my point never meant to breach any of them.